After thirteen years of paying dues, Volbeat is beginning to reap the benefits that comes with staying true to what you believe in.

Michael Poulsen of Volbeat had this to say to Screamer Magazine about how the band incorporates rockabilly, metal, country and western that defines their distinct sound: "When we did the first two albums people were talking all the time about how unique we were but we were totally aware of who we were inspired by so we just said, 'We don't know that; we just like these kinds of bands.' So we just kept doing what we were doing, and we still heard how special and unique we were and maybe at the same time we thought that maybe there were youngsters who really had tough times and they identified with us and I can truly understand that."

Opening shows for Metallica didn't hurt the bands success either: "When we toured with Metallica and did our own headlining shows after that; a lot of people would tell me, 'We discovered you at the Metallica show. It's always an honor to be opening for legendary bands like Metallica and Motorhead, because it always brings new fans."

Poulsen breaks down the inspiration behind the new record "Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies: "I'm so proud because I feel we reached what we wanted with this album. It is a concept album somehow since you can hear in the melodies the inspiration of the old western movies, which is also what the lyrics are all about and what the cover art is all about, so somehow it feels a little like a concept album but the stories are not connected."

Volbeat's "Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies" will be available on April 9th.